


Mapping our hearts

by Ibijau



Series: Blank Slate [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, In chapter 2, M/M, Sad Ending, Sharing a Bed, Teenagers, They are teens and they are in love and the world is a cruel place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-08-23 12:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20242948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ibijau/pseuds/Ibijau
Summary: In a world in turmoil, two boys meet and are drawn to each others through fear and obstacles.(can be read separately from Blank Slate as a kinda sad stand alone)





	1. Chapter 1

Revali shoved the kid aside so he could get a better look at the stall. None of the food was particularly exciting, but he was hungry and his grandmother had told him to manage on his own while she settled her business that day. This hylian stuff looked too fat and heavy and he was tempted to look for a rito place instead, but then what would even have been the point of coming there? Not that he chose that, but…

“Hey, I was there first!”

The rito looked away from the greasy food, and at the boy staring up at him. The kid he’d just pushed away was glaring, trying to make himself look intimidating with his hands on his hips and a furious frown. It might have worked if he hadn’t been tiny, with a face still round from childhood, and a mess of blond hair on his head.

“Well you’re second now,” Revali grunted. “You took too long to choose.”

“I was still first. Tell him I was first!” the kid asked to the stall’s owner, only to be met by a shrug. “But that’s not fair!”

It wasn’t, and it did annoy Revali. The kid was there first. Just because he, the great Revali, was an asshole, didn’t mean that others had the same right. He was the greatest rito the world had ever seen, which gave him privileges; what had that hylian man ever done that he should be allowed to mistreat a kid?

Before he could start anything, a noise caught his interest a little further down the market. A group of hylian boys, teasing a young zora who was trying to sell some mother-of-pearl jewelry carefully placed on a small carpet, directly on the ground. The hylians were playing at stomping their feet around the delicate merchandise, laughing at the poor zora’s distress.

Forgetting his hunger Revali stomped ahead, ready to give them a piece of his mind, only to see the blond kid he’d just teased run past him to do the same. It was quite impressive to see that little nothing of a boy plant himself between the taller boys and the zora’s merchandise. Actually impressive. The boy had been somewhat whiny before, but now he exuded the calm confidence of someone who knew he could easily take on some bullies if he needed to.

Didn’t mean he’d have to do it alone.

As one of the taller boys prepared to punch the smaller hylian, Revali sneaked up behind to kick his knees. Another tried to launch himself at him, but the little hylian quickly tackled him. Soon enough the whole lot was out of order and scrambling to their feet to run away.

“Did they break anything?” the little hylian asked the zora. “If they did, I can try to pay for it.”

“No, I’m fine. But I think you two should run. That was the gang of the market master’s son, so you’ll get troubles if they warn the soldiers.”

Revali threw his head backward and sighed. His grandmother was going to get furious if she thought he’d created problems again. Not that he had much time to ponder what to do about that, because a small but surprisingly strong hand grabbed his wrist and started pulling.

“Come with me,” the little hylian ordered. “I know a place they won’t find us!”

And with that the boy started running, pulling poor Revali behind him as if he weighed nothing, dragging him through Castle Town’s market and into sinuous streets until they reached a small park that seemed entirely empty.

“No one ever comes here,” the boy explained. “It’s the gerudo neighborhood so the soldiers prefer to avoid it, but they are okay with kids.”

“Neat,” Revali grumbled, refusing to admire what might have been a smart choice. “I have no idea how I’ll return to my inn now, but neat.”

“I’ll just take you there,” the kid offered, sitting on a beautifully crafted bench. “But we’d better wait until it calms down a bit.”

Looking around, Revali had to admit it wasn’t a bad place to pass time. The park really wasn’t much, but whoever took care of it had planted many flowers. Most he’d never seen before.

“So you’re a city dweller, uh?”

“No, I only arrived last month,” the kid explained. “I’m from Hateno, in the east. Hey, you fight well! I didn’t know rito could fight like that. It was really cool.”

“You’re decent too,” Revali conceded. A month and that kid already knew about a secret gerudo garden inside Castle Town? “What’s your name, kid?”

The boy looked up from the piece of the bench he was inspecting and glared at Revali.

“I’m not a kid. I’m fifteen. Well, soon enough. And I’m a squire in training!”

“Fascinating. Your name?”

“Link. What’s yours?”

“I am the amazing Revali of the rito. It is your honour to meet me, the greatest of rito warriors.”

Link pouted, on hand on his cheek. “You don’t seem so great. You don’t even have braids or anything. I’ve met rito before, that means you’re not even an adult yet, right?”

It was Revali’s turn to glare.

“A very rude question. I am much older than you. You should show me some respect. And anyway if you’re really a squire, shouldn’t you be in training with all the soldiers instead of at the market?”

Link shrugged. “I got bored. I know how to string a bow. I’ve learned when I was five. So I thought it’d be more interesting to visit. I’ll get scolded later but… I always get scolded anyway, might as well be for something I really did.”

Revali couldn’t help but nod. Now that was a sentiment he could get behind. He’d always felt if he spent too long without getting scolded, it meant he was doing something wrong. Maybe this hylian kid wasn’t so bad. Revali sat next to him, and tried to not take offence when Link shuffled a bit so they wouldn’t be too close.

“You’re not from Castle Town, right?” the boy asked. “What are you here for? Why… oh. Wait, sorry, I ask too many questions, don’t I?”

“I’ll tell you if you get too annoying,” Revali assured him. “I’m here with my grandmother. She needed to talk to one of my fathers about some inheritance stuff and…”

“One of your fathers? You have more than one?”

Oh. That. Revali would have slapped himself.

Don't talk to hylians about your fathers (don't talk about them at all. Forget them. They're not worth your breath) his grandmother had said, because they were backwards and denied their instincts. But the kid didn’t seem angry. If anything he just seemed scared and vaguely excited.

"Is it really forbidden for hylian?" Revali had to ask. "For two men..."

"Oh, yeah," Link said with a firm nod, then laughed. "I remember my dad slapping me when I was little because I'd kissed a neighbour on the cheek, so yeah, it's really forbidden."

"He hit you? Your own father?"

Link shrugged, grinning as if this were some fun childhood story to share with a perfect stranger.

"How else was he supposed to teach me?"

Revali stared at the kid. He was very little, but they were actually nearly the same age. Yet he looked so fragile with his big blue eyes and his mess of blond hair. It'd have been easy to grab him by the neck and bring him back to Rito Village where no one would ever hit him and call it education. Hylians were barbarians.

"Oh, don't make that face!" Link laughed. "What, you never got a slap from your granny? 'Cause I've gotten worse than that, and you seem a lot worse than me."

The very thought of his grandmother hitting him was repulsive. They had arguments nearly daily, but she would never have raised a hand against him. How can Link say that and laugh?

"Is it really so common to hit children here?"

At last Link seemed to notice something was wrong, his big round eyes staring at Revali with something like worry.

"Within reason of course," he explained in a tone that was supposed to be soothing. "I've never been beat up so hard I can't walk. Well, not by my dad anyway. But it's different when it's other kids, or grownups that see you being bad. That just happens when you're..." he hesitated, as if looking for the right word. "When you're odd."

In spite of himself, Revali was nodding. That at least he could understand. Most adults tended to ignore him, but other kids had been ruthless to him until he managed to become strong enough no one would touch him. But Link was tiny and scrawny... 

"You know, if you need me to beat someone for you, I'll do it." 

"So could I. Even adults I could beat!" Link claimed with a fierce smirk that didn’t last. "I'm just... I'm not supposed to. My father says a true knight of Hyrule wouldn't need to do that. That I need to earn their respect in other ways. That's why I've been sent here really. If I become a true knight, maybe people will leave me alone." 

Well that sounded very stupid, but what would Revali know? Everything about hylians sounded stupid to him.

“You did beat up those assholes earlier,” he still pointed out. “With quite some skill too,” he adds, feeling generous.

“Oh, that’s fine. It’s a knight’s duty to protect those who are without strength,” Link recited. “I have to help others. Hey, how long are you staying in town? It’s nice talking with you. If you’d like, I could show you some really neat places that nobody knows!”

That sounded like a hassle. The kid talked a lot. At the same time, Revali’s only other option for entertainment was… sightseeing, but alone. And in the two days they’d been here, he’d found the market and nothing else. Maybe he could tolerate having a guide, especially since he didn’t know how long they’d be in town. First his grandmother needed to find her former son-in-law, which she hadn’t managed yet, and then there’d be the negotiating… They could be staying weeks.

He regretted agreeing almost instantly, because Link looked at him as if he’d just been given the moon.

“It will be so great!” he promised. “I know so many places, and maybe we can find others! I can’t always get free easily, but when I do I can come meet you here in the afternoon and then we go exploring together! It’ll be fun!”

Revali rolled his eyes and grunted, but he wasn’t entirely annoyed by the kid’s enthusiasm. It’d been a while since he’d hung out with someone who didn’t hate his guts.

When Link managed to come meet him again two days later, he had a black eye. It could just have been from training. It could also not, because Revali remembered their conversation. 

"I was clumsy and fell in the stairs," the hylian explained with a laugh. 

"Did you really?" 

Revali didn’t mean anything by the question, but it must have been the wrong one because Link's smile crumbled. 

"I tried to sneak out to see you yesterday but I got caught by another squire. He doesn't like me much. He's a lot older but I keep beating him in training." Link waved his hand dismissively, as if to say it happened to so many people they shouldn’t hold it against him. "But who cares. Do you want to see the best spot in all the town? I found it my first week and I've been wanting to share it since that!" 

The kid's excitement was so obvious that Revali managed push away his worry and follow into this little adventure. 

Link's spot turned out to be an old, disused guard tower. It was easy for Revali to fly up to its roof, but Link had to climb because the stairs inside were too unsafe. It was somewhat scary to see him going up that way. The tower wasn’t the highest building in Castle Town, but Revali was pretty convinced no hylian could survive that fall. Yet Link never showed any fear, any hesitation. He climbed as if he were born for it, not stopping until he reached the roof, sweaty and grinning. 

"Isn't it great here?" he asked Revali, barely out of breath. He was sitting with his legs dangling in the air, his eyes focused on the horizon. "I think those are the Hebra mountains over there! They say no hylian has ever reached the summit because it's so cold your blood will freeze!"

"Hylians are weak," Revali retorted, even though few rito ever venture into those high mountains either. The winds were strong, and so high up it was hard to fly.

"I want to go there someday," Link confessed with a sigh. "I want to go to all the places I shouldn't go. Being a knight is boring, it's just staying in a spot and doing what you're told. I don't want that. I want to see how big the world is!"

Revali couldn’t help but nod, feeling that same pull. It was particularly strong then, as they sat on top of that old tower. Under their feet sat Castle Town, noisy and busy, but all around it there was the vastness of Hyrule, green meadows peppered with square fields and blue lakes as far as the eye could see. Then further away the mountains and past that... 

"I'll go beyond that," Revali decided. "There's bad air currents over the great chasm, but I fly better than anyone ever has. It won't be hard for me!" 

Link laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're so modest, eh?" 

A shrug was the only adequate answer. Why be modest? The only way to be treated with any decency was to make sure nobody ever forgets just how much better than everyone he was. Modesty was for people who had doubts, and Revali had none. He couldn’t afford to have any. Yet here, high up and alone with this kid who didn’t care about his fathers, perhaps it wouldn't matter if for one minute he stopped being the greatest rito to ever live. Without really thinking about it he leaned to the side to rest his head against Link's. A way to thank him for sharing this view. 

Link almost fell down the tower in his haste to escape the touch, scrambling to his feet and looking at Revali in terror. The rito couldn't understand what he'd done, until words from their first meeting came back to him. 

His father had slapped him for kissing another boy as a young child, he'd said. Would this too have been worth a punishment? It was a simple gesture of affection between friends though. He was sixteen, an adult really even if actual grown-ups disagreed, while Link, only fifteen, was still just barely a baby of a different specie who Revali could never imagine being attracted to. There was no romance intended. It was just something friendly. 

"It's just a rito thing," he tried to explain. "Don't panic, I won't jump you. You're way too ugly for that." 

The insult got a half grin out of Link. 

"So what, hylians friends don't ever touch, or you're so unpopular you've never even had a friend before me?" 

Revali patted the spot next to him, inviting the kid to come closer again. Link did and, tentatively, dropped his head against the rito's shoulder. 

"A bit of both. Do rito do that a lot?" 

"Yeah, I guess. Never had any friends though so I haven't done that much. I'm way too good for everyone else, it scares them." 

He could feel Link nod, as though the feeling is familiar. 

"But we're friends then? You just said we were."

"I guess, if you want to be, I can tolerate that." 

From the corner of his eye he could see Link's grin. It made him roll his eyes, but at the same time it was nice to have a friend. 

They met again a few times in the following days. Sometimes Link had a new bruise. If he’d gotten it in training, he’d display it proudly. Other times he was silent about it and Revali understood it was better not to push for explanations. He was also grateful that Link seemed to quickly get that he did not want to talk about his fathers, and that he respected it. 

With these simple rules in place, they did have more fun than Revali had expected. Link hadn’t lied when he’d said he knew all the best place in town, although perhaps the Castle Town tourism committee might have disagreed. Most people probably didn’t go visit the abandoned sewers of the city, nor did they explore all the coffee houses of the gerudo neighbourhood. Their loss. Coffee was disgusting and bitter, but the biscuits were always delicious and the gerudo were very amused by Revali’s tales of adventures. So was Link, who only seemed to keep quiet when the rito explained how high he was training himself to fly higher than anyone, and how good his aim was.

It was good fun.

So it was quite the disappointment when one evening Revali met his grandmother at the inn, and she announced they were leaving the next morning. She’d managed to find her former son-in-law at last, and he hadn’t fought over anything he was given by his late husband.

He also hadn’t asked to meet Revali, even after she’d let it escape that she’d brought him along. But that might have been a lie. Revali knew well his grandmother didn’t want him to see his father with his new wife, and that he’d only come in case things went sour and she needed to use him as a trump card. Or maybe it was true. Maybe his father really didn’t want anything to do with him. He didn’t care either way.

What he did care about was the idea of leaving Castle Town without saying goodbye to Link. It wouldn’t be right. Not after all the fun they’d had two past two weeks. It took some negotiating, and his grandmother was on the verge of starting An Argument, but once she understood her only grandchild had finally made a friend she stopped protesting. They’d leave only after he’d had a chance to say goodbye, she promised.

Luckily, Link had managed to escape his training the following afternoon, and they met again at their secret gerudo garden. The hylian kid started suggesting a billion places they could go that day, then went very quiet when Revali broke out the news to him.

“Will you ever come back?” he asked in a low voice.

“Doubt it. There’s nothing for me in this stupid city.”

“Well, there’s me?”

Link was fighting tears and dear Goddess above, he looked like a puppy who had just been kicked by its owner.

Worse still, it was affecting Revali who could feel himself get sad over this. Which was preposterous. He was the great Revali of the rito. He was never sad about anything. Sadness was for people who had time to waste. And yet, looking at that kid with big blue eyes tugged at his heart. So Revali decided to give himself one short moment of emotion, and he pulled Link into a hug. The hylian tensed and nearly panicked at first, as he always did at any casual form of affection, but he soon relaxed into it and hugged back.

“You can always come to Rito Village,” Revali suggested. “Then it’ll be my turn to show you all the best spots.”

“I’ll be stuck in Castle Town for years,” Link protested, pulling back with a frown. “It’s at least five years to becoming a knight, and you’re not even allowed to go home unless someone dies...”

Revali shrugged. “I’ll see you in five years then. Just prepare yourself to be amazed at how much more awesome I’ll have become. You will be blinded by my magnificence. I will have learned to fly so high I’ll touch the clouds!”

Link grinned, as if he fully believed Revali could do that and much more.

Goddess, he really was going to miss that kid a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Revali are reunited, but some things have changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for homophobia and some quick mentions of teenagers getting naughty :D

There was a hylian delegation arriving inside the village. Revali had little interest in that, but his grandmother ordered him to go there with her and he wasn't in the mood for an argument. Nothing he saw impressed him too much. The delegation was led by a little princess with blonde hair who looked too young to be in charge of anything, and behind her stood a handful of soldiers, all of them staring straight ahead as if nothing existed around them. Pathetic. He was particularly amused by a knight who stood right behind the princess, a little nothing of a man barely the same size as her, wearing a helmet too formal for his stature. 

"And this is why we hope you will let your strongest warriors come to with us," the princess finished. "Do you know any who might volunteer?" 

Fat chance of that, Revali thought, only to be proven wrong when a few older rito step ahead. Whatever that princess had said must have been important because he knew these men, and even he would have admitted they were not entirely useless. Very well for them, but  _ he  _ would never... 

"My grandson volunteers too," said his grandmother, shoving him ahead so he'd join the others. 

He could hear the other rito groan in displeasure, which instantly determined that whatever was happening there, he was now going to best them all.

"Revali?" gasped a voice coming from the hylian group, but he couldn't see who. 

"Isn't your grandson a little... young, perhaps, for such a responsibility?" the princess asked, ignoring the voice coming from her ranks. 

"He's older than you, my pretty," his grandmother replied. "And there's no one in this village who reaches his level." 

Revali let them discussing his many merits and tried to spot which of the soldiers had called out his name. None of them seem to pay him any mind though. Not until his eyes passed the face of that tiny knight who so amused him, and that knight was staring right back at him until their eyes met and he looked away, trying again to look as emotionless as the others. He'd found his fan. Now to wonder how that hylian might know him, because his helmet showed too little of his face to recognise him. 

* * *

Later that night, as he was having dinner on the Landing, the little knight came to him. Revali instantly felt like sending him away. He had come here to be in peace, away from his grandmother who wouldn't stop talking of glory and honour. Talking to a hylian was the last thing he wanted. 

"You really don't recognise me, do you?" the knight laughed when he saw the scowl on Revali’s face. 

"Not with a helmet on. How do you people even see anything with that on your tiny heads?" 

The knight laughed again, which was not the normal reaction to hylians hearing anything of theirs called tiny. He removed the offending helmet and still Revali didn't know who he was though something was familiar. Big blue eyes and messy blond hair... 

"Link?" 

The hylian laughed as he nodded. But that was impossible, Revali thought. It hadn't even been a full year and he remembered little Link. This stranger here couldn't be him. He was too tall, too thin... But those eyes! Revali would have recognised them anywhere, blue eyes that shone in happiness at the sight of him. Little Link had grown and for a hylian, he didn't look half bad. 

Well, wasn't  _ that  _ an odd thought. 

"Look at you, all grown like weeds and still ugly as ever!" Revali sniggered, patting at the spot next to him where Link quickly went to sit. "What are you doing here? I'd have thought they'd send their princess away with knights, not tiny squires!" 

"I'm a full knight now," Link explained with a grimace. "Her highness princess Zelda's personal knight, even." 

"How did that happen? Aren't you just eleven or something?" 

"Nearly sixteen!" Link protested, slapping Revali's shoulder as if they'd last seen each other the day before in Castle Town. It certainly felt that way for the rito, at least. "And stuff happened. I'm a hero of legend or something, they've told me. I even got a very shiny sword. I'll show you later if you like." 

"Please, yeah, show me your sword." 

Link froze and stared at Revali. Some things hadn't changed and the rito remembered that panicked looked, though he didn't understand what could have triggered it. He hadn't done anything affectionate this time. Still Link looked away, his cheeks growing red. 

"Anyway, we're here on this very important mission," the hylian coughed. "I didn't expect to see you, but I hoped I might. And I hope you'll be the one to pilot the Divine Beast! That'd mean we could spend time together!" 

The idea of being in charge of a giant metal beast built by sheikahs was less than thrilling. Even for the sake of the world Revali didn't want to do that, which had led to an argument with his grandmother, which was why Link had found him eating alone on the Landing. 

But if it meant more time with a friend, he  _ might  _ put an effort toward success. 

"Yeah, I'll get the spot easy as anything," he bragged, puffing his feathers proudly. "And your girlfriend will be glad she has me instead one those other stuffy cuccos." 

"Not my girlfriend," Link grumbled. "Come on, it's already bad enough everyone else does it... But I know that you  _ know _ ." 

Revali frowned, unsure what exactly he was supposed to know. Something embarrassing apparently because even in the dimming night, it was obvious Link's cheeks were a bright red. When he realised what Link meant, he just huffed. He’d forgotten how much  _ that  _ mattered to his friend.

"And what were you up to this year?" the hylian asked, quite clearly trying to change the subject. "Still trying to become the greatest rito warrior of all ages?" 

"Trying? You little moblin faced worm, I  _ am  _ the greatest that ever was!" 

Link sniggered, but dutifully listened to Revali's exploits as if they were truly the most amazing thing he'd ever heard. Even Revali's grandmother hadn't been so entranced in his stories in years. It was nice to feel those big blue eyes fixated on him and Revali couldn't help but want more of that. 

* * *

Princess Zelda had disappeared. 

They were travelling toward the area were the Divine Beast assigned to the rito had been excavated and one morning when they all woke up, she had left the camp. 

Link did not lose a moment and took control. Although the youngest hylian, he was senior officer by rank and put himself in charge, ordering two soldiers to stand watch over their camp while the others looked around. He also, very politely, asked for the assistance of the rito, but stopped Revali before he could take flight. 

"I think I know where she is," he explained in a hurried whisper. "Last night she told me she wanted to visit some ruins, and she... didn't like it when I had to remind her we were expect elsewhere. Would you mind checking? I'll be riding out that way too." 

Revali frowned. 

"Why not just send..." 

"She'll be doing...  _ research  _ again," Link murmured, glancing around to make sure he wouldn't be heard. "It's forbidden to her. If someone else finds her the king might hear about it, but if it's me I can let her come up with a lie. Please, help me?" 

How was he supposed to deny those blue eyes anything? It had been three days since they'd met again but Revali would have followed his friend anywhere, knowing the opposite to be equally true. 

He took flight and sure enough, there was a hylian exactly where Link had predicted, playing with that metal rectangle the Princess dragged everywhere. After that it was only a matter of warning Link and enjoying the pure relief on his face. The little hylian was amazingly expressive. 

Or at least he was when they were alone. Other hylians seemed to have a different opinion. The soldiers were all very relieved when Revali returned ahead of the other two to announce that the princess had been found and would be back shortly. They all gathered back at their camp and, in the true fashion of anyone with a boss they didn’t like, started complaining about Link.

To hear them, the young knight was nothing but a privileged social climber, one who had earned his position only thanks to the fame of his father. Certainly there was the sword, marking him as chosen by the Goddess, but who was to say someone else couldn’t have been picked by the sword if given a chance? And he was so cold, never talking to anyone, never laughing at anything, a true bore. A funny couple it’d make if he married the princess, as they all expected, because these two just didn’t know how to have fun.

“Assuming he marries her,” one man said, looking around to check Link wasn’t back yet. “You know what the other squires said about him? He’s…”

“All the more reason to marry her. People like that, they like to hide. And so long as he manages at least once, to give her an heir, who cares?”

“But he’d become king!” The first man grumbled angrily. “Imagine having to serve a king who’s nothing more than a pillow biter? Imagine if…”

The man stopped, interrupted by the sound of hooves approaching. The princess arrived first, barely managing to contain how upset she was, while her chosen knight followed closely behind, his face a perfect mask of indifference, his blue eyes dull and uninterested in anything.

* * *

They spent that night at one of the royal stables that peppered the kingdom. It wasn’t the best bed that Revali had ever had, but it was acceptable. Or it would have been, if room hadn’t been limited and he hadn’t been asked to share the same space as the other rito. He’d rather have slept under the stars than do that, especially when Link and the princess each got their own room. It was too much space for just one person, and so Revali went to knock on his friend’s door and asked to spend the night there.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Link whispered, his face bright red as he checked no one might have seen Revali. Then, comforted that they were alone, he quickly pulled the rito inside and sighed as he closed the door. “If I let you stay, can you promise you’ll be gone before anyone else wakes up?”

“What, scared anyone will see me leave your room?” Revali sniggered.

“Yes.”

Revali’s laughter died down in his throat. Link was standing there, barefeet, in just his shirt and breeches, glaring at the ground as if it had insulted his mother. He was also quite visibly trembling.

“They all hate me,” he hissed, his fists clenched. “Like I asked for any of this! And if they can find a good reason to get rid of me… I’m  _ not  _ the hero they want.”

“Well, I always thought the great hylian hero was supposed to be very handsome,” Revali noted, “and your face look like something a dog barfed. So I can imagine their disappointment.”

Link burst out laughing, tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

“You are such an idiot!”

“But you like me.”

That got him another laugh, quieter this time. Link smiled at him the way Revali liked, with those blue eyes shining in mirth. And those idiots had called him cold earlier…

“So, can I stay or not?” Revali asked. “It’s getting late here.”

“I’m not against it, but there’s only the one bed…”

The rito shrugged. It wasn’t the sharing he’d minded before, it was the company. With Link instead of some old assholes who couldn’t stand him, he was perfectly happy to share even the small space of a bed.

“It’s a cold night anyway, I’ll help keep you warm,” Revali offered, only to see Link’s blush extend from his cheek down to his collarbone. He was going to ask what that was about, but Link mumbled something and rushed to the bed where he hid under the cover.

Hylians could be so odd.

After having undressed Revali did also enter the bed. It was not, by any definition, a very big one. No matter how small Link tried to make himself, they had to lie close together lest one should fall to the floor. Revali thought he’d been right : the night didn’t feel so cold anymore. He wanted to fall asleep, but found that he couldn’t. It was hard to focus when there was someone so close to him. In the end he’d never really done that since his days as a chick.

“You know why they hate me, right?” Link muttered, apparently unable to sleep either. 

“I’ve heard it’s because you’re a pillow biter, and just more generally because you’re so much better than them.”

Link puffed in contained laughter, his legs inadvertently rubbing against Revali’s who did not move them away. “Yeah, something like that. It… you’ve said before that rito don’t have a problem with that. With… you know.”

“Men in love? Yeah, it’s fine. It’s pretty common, really. My fathers… well. And a lot of actually good people too. It’s just how life is.”

“So you’re not disgusted by me?” Link asked. Even in the darkness his big blue eyes shone and he gazed hopefully at Revali. And how was that even a question? He liked Link. That was more than he could say about anyone in his life.

“I’m only disgusted by how stupid you must be to worry about that,” the rito retorted, and immediately he felt Link’s body relax a little. “You were really worried?” He felt more than he saw the nod that answered his question. “Idiot.”

There was silence for a moment, and Revali wondered if his friend was falling asleep. He closed his eyes, hoping to do the same. Then, after a moment, he felt the mattress shift under them as Link moved, followed by brief warm sensation on his beak. Revali opened his eyes again to find Link staring at him, eyes wide in fear and expectation.

“That was… did you just  _ kiss  _ me?”

Link froze as in a panic.

Link who had kissed him. At least, he was pretty sure how hylian kissed, pressing their mouths together. He’d witnessed it more than a few times in Castle Town. And Link had done that to him. It had felt odd. Nothing like how rito kissed. Or at least, nothing like how he imagined it’d feel to be kissed by a rito.

“ _ Now _ you’re disgusted,” Link whispered, curling up on himself and trying his hardest not to touch any part of Revali.

Perhaps he should have been. Link was hylian. He had those weird straight legs and that featherless skin, that face without a beak. But none of that was exactly ugly, no matter what Revali kept joking. Or rather, it was ugly on other hylians, but on Link it was… endearing. Because Link was his friend. Link didn’t have a beak but his mouth always smiled so wide whenever Revali shared a story. His limbs weren’t the right shape but they were strong and powerful, letting him climb as high as a rito could fly. And those large blue eyes that illuminated every time he saw Revali…

“I think I can  _ tolerate  _ that,” the rito mumbled, shuffling closer and… how was  _ he  _ going to kiss Link without a beak? He settled for the only thing he could think of, and nuzzled his beak against that little nub of flesh hylians called a nose.

Link didn’t relax the way Revali had hoped. “You don’t have to pity me.”

“You little moblin faced idiot, have you ever seen me be nice if I don’t mean it?”

An unfair question when the total duration of their acquaintance was barely three weeks, but Link snorted, his body less tense.

“No, you’re an asshole. You… don’t mind?”

It would have been easy to make a joke, to say again he’d tolerate it. Had it been anyone else, he might have. But that was Link, and Revali knew him. Knew the kind of courage it must have taken to do this, when the hylian was so terrified of his preferences being brought to the light. That deserved better than a joke.

So Revali brought one hand to Link’s cheek, his thumb making circles on the oddly smooth skin, pushing the hair that had fallen there.

“No one’s ever been interested in me,” he admitted, the confession almost hurting. “But if there’s got to be somebody who is, I’m glad it’s you. You’re my friend and I like you.”

Under his hand he could feel Link smiling. “I… I like you too.”

“I’d guessed that yeah, idiot,” Revali retorted, nuzzling Link’s nose again. It was definitely an odd sensation but not a bad one. He could have gotten used to it. He was already getting used to it. “What’s supposed to happen now? Are we a couple?”

Wasn’t that what happened when two people liked each other and started kissing? It was what other rito his age seemed to be doing anyway. It sounded stupid. He didn’t hate the idea.

“I don’t know if we even can,” Link whispered. “I cannot… if we’re seen… I like you so much but people will say…”

“Who cares what people say? I’ve decided. We’re a couple. Now suck it up and live with it.”

Link laughed, the last of his tension easing at last, and he shuffled closer, one of his arms sneaking around Revali’s waist to hold him.

It’s nice to fall asleep like that, close to someone.

In the morning, nobody saw him leaving Link’s room. The knight didn’t even look at him while they all have breakfast, a perfect picture of calm and indifference. Part of Revali was impressed. It was hard to reconcile the shy and sweet boy of the previous night with this cold knight giving orders to his men, to conceive the effort it had to take on Link’s part to present himself that way.

Another part of Revali just wanted attention. He wanted Link to look at him and think of him and touch and Goddess, where did  _ that  _ even come from? He was the amazing Revali, he did not  _ need  _ anyone’s attention, it was just something people gave him and he generously accepted. He didn’t go looking for it. Besides, he knew full well Link couldn’t pay attention to him, couldn’t betray their new secret. 

He knew it and still it left him upset for the rest of the day, only getting worse as time passed and Link had to remain indifferent to him. It was stupid because he hadn’t cared for their first few days of travelling, and now he felt as needy as a newly hatched chick.

* * *

  
  


The excavation site had left a deep scar on the landscape, one prolonging Tangar Canyon past its original length. Several of the rito were unhappy with that discovery, and for once Revali agreed with them. Hylians! Thinking they could do anything they liked… but why wouldn’t they think that, when they had the tools and authority to do it?

The princess and her little group were warmly welcomed by a band of sheikahs. Princess Zelda immediately disappeared to discuss with the head of operations, leaving her chosen knight to handle lesser problems. In as few words as he could, Link dispatched his soldiers to check on the perimeter in case anything might have escaped the sheikahs, then ensured their rito guests would have suitable rooms waiting for them while the selection process went on. With that done, he followed the path were princess Zelda had disappeared and Revali did not see him for the rest of the day. He barely even saw him that evening, just a quick glance at dinner, sad blue eyes meeting his across the room.

Curse the hylians and their backward ideas. Revali had a boyfriend to kiss.

But at last, when everyone had gone to bed, they managed to have a little time together. Trying to set an example, Link had decided that he would be the first to stand watch. His soldiers tried to protest they didn’t even need anyone to keep watch, not with sheikahs around, but he ignored their complaints and sent them to rest. Link left their barracks, taking his legendary sword with him. Revali waited a bit, listening to the soldiers grumble against their officer, trying to get the rito warriors to join them. When the rito did just that, commenting on the small size of the knight and his youth, Revali stormed out. It wasn’t smart, and he should have waited until everyone started falling asleep, but he could only listen to so much abuse directed against his hylian.

He found Link sitting a reasonable distance away from the barracks, sitting on the verge of the canyon, his legs dangling in the air. Not a great position to look out for enemies, not a bad one to wait for a lover.

“You should have waited more,” Link sighed before Revali could even say anything. “Did they see where you were going?”

“It’s dark enough, and I don’t think they cared,” the rito replied, sitting down next to him. “It’s stupid anyway. I should be able to kiss you in broad daylight! If you were a rito, we could…”

“You know it’s not possible,” Link cut him. “Even just this is… it’s risky. I know I can’t give you much. And even if you’re chosen by the Divine Beast I’ll be away a lot. If you decide you don’t want that after all…“

The hylian’s voice dropped low, as if he couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence. Revali huffed. He had just found someone good enough for him at last, he wasn’t about to let that go because things weren’t easy. Nothing good ever came without a little fighting.

And that gave him an idea.

“Hylians… you can’t have proper friends but you have rivals, no?”

“I suppose so, yes,” Link admitted, clearly confused by what he thought a change of conversation. “It’s a very healthy and manly thing to do. My father has this other knight that he’s always complaining about, and they always find ways to fight each other at tournaments. It’s very  _ noble _ ,” he adds, mouth twisting in disgust at the word.

“So, complaining and fighting. Yeah, I can do that,” Revali decided. “Fine. From now on, I’ll be your rival when we’re around people.”

“ _ What _ ?”

“It’s perfect!” Revali crowed, jumping to his feet. “It’s certainly believable! You are a great knight of Hyrule and I am the amazing Revali of the rito, how could we not hate each other and want to prove we’re better than the other? And if we disappear somewhere together, it’ll obviously be to fight or for some epic challenge!”

Realisation dawned on Link’s face and he grinned so wide his face had to hurt.

“It’ll be easy to believe,” he admits. “Everyone thinks you’re an asshole.”

“And they all take you for a cold and pompous dick. We’re the perfect match to be rivals! Of course, I might be generous and let you get the upper hand sometimes, so you don’t get discouraged.”

Link stood up, still grinning, and punched his shoulder playfully. “Like I’d need your pity to win! Maybe you’re the great Revali, but I’m the hero of legend, don’t you know? I could take you with one hand behind my back!”

“I could beat you without any hands!” Revali retorted, grabbing Link’s shoulder and trying to push him down, mindful of the distance with the canyon’s edge. “You’re just a stupid moblin faced idiot, and your sword is on the ground so you’re no hero at all!”

They wrestled and laughed for a bit until one of them lost balance and they fell to the ground, Revali on top of Link, between the hylian’s legs. His laughter died in his throat as he realised their position. Under him he saw Link’s eyes shine with something new for a second, then turn away as a blush crept up his face.

“Have you ever… done that?” the hylian asked, resolutely looking away.

“Have you?”

Link bit his lip and shook his head, his blush deepening and creeping down his neck, one hand playing with a pebble beside his head.

“Do you want to?” Revali asked, voice rough even to his own ears.

Link was breathing heavily under him, his featherless skin radiating heat. Revali felt he might die if the hylian rejected him, but of course he’d reject the idea, they were so different and their bodies probably weren’t compatible and this was all so crazy and still Revali  _ wanted  _ it like he had never wanted anything in his life.

Strong but gentle hands found their way around his neck and Link finally looked at him again, eyes defiant and terrified at once. “Only with you.”

Revali’s breath was knocked out of him. Nothing more existed in the world. Just him and Link and this burning desire between them.

Maybe they wouldn’t figure out how to make that work between them.

But Goddess high above, they certainly would try.

* * *

  
  


It was such an important moment, one that might determine the rest of his life, and Revali couldn’t stop thinking about Link. The hylian's laugh, his blue eyes, the wind in his hair, that smirk when he thought Revali was ridiculous, his strength, his hands, the way he'd finally taken Revali the night before, his face in pleasure, the closeness after. 

Revali was in love and who cared about the future of Hyrule? All he wanted was to drop everything, run to Link and make love again.

"Master Revali, it is your turn," the princess called. 

He didn't look at her. With tremendous effort, he also pretended not to see Link, certain his eyes might betray them otherwise. 

But when Revali stood in front of the controls, anger seized him. They had been there for over a week now, with sheikahs explaining how the Divine Beasts worked, then testing their combat proficiencies. They should have started with this instead, if all that really mattered was the fact the Beast chose its pilot. But what did the daily lives of some  _ birds  _ matter to the mighty hylians and their loyal sheikahs, right? They cared for nothing except their own self importance. 

As if in reaction to his annoyance, something lit up on the controls. Revali thought he heard some gasps behind him but he ignored them, examining more closely what was essentially Vah Medoh's brain. What would soon become his second home because  _ he  _ would be the pilot, he would train with the princess and her knight. Him and no one else. 

Under his hands the control panel started rumbling. Not just it, but the entire metal bird was shaking as if it reacted to Revali's determination. 

He puffed his feathers and turned to the others.

"Well, I'm sure that's not a surprise to anyone, is it? Hey, dumbass knight, are you jealous of what true greatness looks like?" 

Princess Zelda clapped her hands, unable to contain her excitement, while the other rito glared at him, clearly disappointed it would be him of all people that had been chosen. But none of that mattered because Link was staring at him and grinning as if Midwinter had come early for him. 

Let anyone try to tell them they spent too much time together now!


	3. Chapter 3

They barely left their respective Divine Beasts these days. The signs were clear that the attack would come soon and they had to be prepared for it. Revali didn't mind that; after two years of training Vah Medoh felt more like home than his house in rito village. He basically lived there, only coming back to the ground for food, some archery training, and the occasional encounter with Link.

The princess's power still had not awakened, which was becoming a source of intense worry. Even Revali could only pity that girl. To be fated for one thing only, and then never manage to do it in spite of countless efforts and sacrifices...

Her upcoming birthday was her last chance, everyone said. She would finally be able to pray to Nayru's Spring and if that failed... Well, they'd still have the Divine Beasts, they'd still have Link and his sword, but the fight ahead would be a much harder one.

That was the reasoning behind having all of them accompany her part of the way to the Spring, a bit of encouragement and support for her, although only the princess and her chosen knight would go up the mountain and enter the spring. It was tradition.

Goddess but Revali hated hylians traditions.

The four Champions arrived first, and made camp before the door to Lanayru Promenade, waiting for the princess and her knight. Mipha offered to cook but Revali took over that, hinting it wasn't the right time for anyone to get food poisoning. A way to not admit he hadn't seen Link in over a month and wanted to cook special something for him. When Zelda arrived on her white horse, followed by Link on a brown beast borrowed from the royal stables, the air smelled of fried meat and vegetables. 

"How was the trip?" Urbosa asked, helping Zelda get down. 

"Some monsters" Zelda looked at Link with some worry. "They felt rather more aggressive than usual, did they not?" 

The knight nodded. Well, there was nothing new there. Bokoblins had become bolder for months, and it wasn't so unusual to spot moblins these days, for the first time in decades. 

"What, our great brave hero can't even handle a few minions now?" Revali mocked, and Link's eyes shone when they met his. "What's the point of that overgrown fistulous fool having that sword then?" 

The others all turned to glare at him, missing the fond smile Link couldn't contain. 

"Perhaps now is not the time to doubt each others," Mipha said coldly. 

_She knew_, Link had told him. The two had been friends for so many years that she had guessed easily as soon as Link and Zelda had come to her for Vah Ruta. The one person who knew their secret, and she hated Revali. Well, he wasn't too fond of her either, saw her devotion to Link. He wasn't jealous by nature but he was convinced if Link ever had to willingly marry a girl, Mipha would be his choice. 

Well, unless he was forced to marry Zelda. Hylians and their traditions. 

"I'm not doubting him," Revali protested. "I am explicitly saying he's an brain dead beetle who couldn't win a fight even if all his enemies were already dead and buried." 

"Says the smarmy, manged cucco who cannot kill all his enemies lest the world be left empty," Link replied coldly, though his eyes still shone. "Don't mind him, Mipha."

With that out of the way, the rest of the evening was fairly quiet. Even Revali wasn't much in the mood to look for trouble, not when they all knew how important the day to come would be. That poor little princess... Perhaps her father would leave her alone after that, once it was clear she just didn't have it in her to channel divine power. And why should she succeed now? The Goddess just didn't seem to like her current set of pawns enough to give them any slack. 

Link offered to keep watch first that night. Revali and him had figured out it was the safest way to steal some time together. Anyone thinking of attacking would probably choose a darker hour of the night, so it was fine if they became a little distracted. 

As always, Link went to sit at a short distance from the camp, so he wouldn't be seen too easily by friends or foes. And as always Revali went to join him as soon as the others appeared to sleep. 

"Mipha is going to murder me in my sleep someday," Revali said as he sat down next to Link, shoulder to shoulder. "That girl has no sense of humour." 

"She thinks I deserve better," the hylian replied, joining their hands. "Can't blame her. You _are_ an insufferable prick after all." 

"And you look like a moblin's ass after diarrhea, so it's not like you can get picky, eh?" 

Link chuckled, and planted a kiss against Revali's neck before resting his head on the rito's shoulder. 

"How do you think it'll go for her tomorrow?" Link asked. "Zelda is so nervous about this..." 

"It's never worked before. Why would it be different now? Maybe we just don't actually need that power this time." 

Link remained silent a moment, and sighed.

"I don't want to believe the Goddess could be so cruel to her. She's trying so hard..." 

But the Goddess  _ was  _ cruel, Revali thought. She had given the princess an inquisitive mind when everyone said she should only have looked within for her own power. She had allowed the men of her chosen people to be brutal and vicious, then picked as her hero a kind soul who had to deny everything about himself so he could be allowed to fight in her name. Not that Revali would say that out loud. The mercy, or lack thereof, of the Goddess had been the source of their only serious fight. Link, against everything, desperately wanted to have faith. Maybe it was the only way for him to make sense of things. 

"Whatever happens we'll deal with it," Revali decided. "And then when Ganon is defeated... "

It was Revali's turn to go silent. And then _what_? The future was a scary place. They both knew what might be expected of Link. Heroes married princesses. Or at the very least they married beautiful, hylian woman with whom they had children to continue that line of heroes so Hyrule could have a new protector next time Ganon returned. And for Revali... Well, he'd be free. Nobody would miss him if he left the country to explore. Nobody but Link who would sometimes look out the window while his wife was playing with the children, and long for what they used to have. 

"What would you want, if you didn't have to worry about people's opinions?" Revali asked, desperate for a distraction from that depressing future. 

Link gave the question serious consideration, then a smile broke onto his face.

"I want a small house somewhere," he decided. "I want two dogs. Not hunting dogs or guard dogs, just two nice big puppies who'll wag their tails whenever they see me. And a horse. I want a horse that's  _ mine _ , really mine, not just one I borrow from the royal stables. I'll call her Epona and give her all the apples she'll want."

"You'll have a fat horse," Revali teased.

"No because I'll ride her until I reach the end of every known land. I'll leave Hyrule and discover what's beyond it. we'll go to the end of the world and then return home and play with our dogs. Maybe we'll have a garden too. Do you want us to have one? We'll have to find good neighbours to take care of it every time we're gone. And we'll be gone so much. Where would you like to go first?"

Revali's chest constricted at being included in that fantasy.

"We'll climb on top of the Hebra mountains," he suggested, remembering a conversation from years ago. "Where no one has ever gone before."

Link smiled and shuffled closer, nuzzling at Revali's neck. "And then... Then from the summit we'll fly over the great chasm and discover what's on the other side."

"Your glider will never be strong enough for that."

"I'll just build a better one. I want to fly with you into something new." Link sat up and moved to straddle Revali, his arms around the rito’s neck. "I want to go  _ anywhere  _ with you. Away from Hyrule. Somewhere I don't have to be scared all the time. I want... I want to be with _you_. When we have stopped Ganon and they don't need me anymore, I want to give them back the sword and go away with you."

"You're a fucking sap," Revali mumbled, his voice strangled by emotion as he laid his hands on Link's thighs. "I guess I can live with that though. You're not half bad for a hylian. And I could tolerate travelling with you. No one else could keep up with me, anyway."

Link grinned and bent to kiss his beak. "Asshole."

Revali's hands found their way to Link's ass, squeezing it appreciatively. They were a little too close to the others to do anything safely but Goddess help him, that had never stopped them before. 

"You are not taking me tonight," Link warned, sensing the change of mood. "I'm going to be climbing a mountain tomorrow while you'll just be waiting here and doing nothing." 

"Tragic. I'll be sure to think of your sufferings." 

That got him a kiss under the side of his beak, followed by a small bite on a piece of exposed skin that sent a shiver up Revali's spine. 

"Three choices," Link offered in a low voice. "One: I fuck you the way we both know you want. Two: you decide to be a bit stupid and stubborn and we only use our hands instead. Three: you are a huge idiot and I drop you here like the horny cucco you are, because I am  _ absolutely not _ letting you fuck me the night before I have to  _ climb up a mountain _ ."

"A hard offer," Revali noted. "Have you considered this though: you want me to fuck you like there's no tomorrow, and some discomfort is a small price to pay for it."

"A fair point. Here's one thing to consider: you are very, very horny," Link pointed out, grinding against Revali's hardening cock. "And my offer is very much non negotiable."

It'd be easy to agree. Revali certainly loved having Link inside him as much as he enjoyed taking him, and they hadn't seen each other in weeks. But now there was the challenge of trying to convince Link, and that was as much fun as sex itself.

"You know you want it."

"Last chance, Revali." 

"What, you think I believe for one second you would willingly walk away from a chance to get shagged by me?" 

Link smirked, grinding again against his lover and kissing Revali's beak tenderly. 

"Oh, Revali. To piss you off when you're this cocky? I  _ absolutely  _ will." 

Before the rito could react Link had jumped to his feet and after blowing a kiss toward his lover he walked back to the camp, chuckling to himself. Revali cursed under his breath against that damn hylian who thought he was so funny. He'd make him pay for that next time they had a chance together. Or perhaps he wouldn't have to because Link would feel some remorse about wasting a perfectly good chance to fuck and he'd make an effort to be extra nice. 

Either way next time would surely be a memorable one. 

  
  


The instant they saw Zelda and Link walking up to them, they all knew that this last attempt had failed. Daruk asked anyway, because they needed to be sure, but Zelda's answer only confirmed what they all had guessed. Whatever power her bloodline carried would not awaken in her. 

But before any of them could fully comprehend what that would mean for their mission, a terrible roar reached them, making the very ground shake. Revali flew up to check, only to discover their most dreaded day had arrived. 

It all went fast after that. The decision to run for the Divine Beast they had thankfully left nearby. Zelda's determination to stay with Link and fight at his side, powerless as she was. 

The air of determination on the hylian champion's face. 

Revali's heart missed a beat. Everything would go fine. They were all strong and highly trained. Nothing could go wrong. 

And yet he had seen that beast in the distance, taller than any building, more dangerous than any of them had anticipated. They'd been told Ganon was a tall, fearsome monster, but they could never have expected that thing.

"Link, wait! I..."

_ I love you _ he wanted to say. It'd be the first time, except if they counted what they said during sex. Revali had never felt the need to say the words because he knew how Link felt for him, and knew with the same absolute certitude his hylian knew of his own feelings. Why waste their breath on that when neither of them could doubt what they had?

But this abomination he had seen around the castle wouldn't get out of his head. Revali liked to boast he didn't know fear, but that thing scared him and if the princess hadn't been there within earshot...

But Link must have felt some of his unease. He crossed the few steps between them and rubbed his nose against Revali's beak, in plain view of everyone. 

"Later," Link whispered, kissing the side of his beak. "It's what we were waiting for. And then... the Hebra range waits for us."

"Two dogs and a garden," Revali replied, fighting the urge to pull Link to his chest and never let go. "Don't do anything reckless."

"Reckless is what they picked me for," Link retorted with a joyless laughter. "So you'll have to aim right for once and cover for me. Go now. Try to keep me alive."

Another gentle nose rub and Link was gone, back at the princess's side, helping her get on her horse for a last ride to Castle Town.

_ Goddess high above keep him alive _ , Revali begged, flying up to Vah Medoh.  _ He's just a pawn to you but he's the best mate I could ever have found. Please keep him alive for me. _

It never occurred to Revali he should ask to be preserved too.

They'd never thought there would be an attack on the Divine Beasts. They'd never  _ prepared  _ for it. What could Ganon's army of monsters do against their metal giants? The Divine Beasts were the safest place to be in during the fight.

Revali didn't even have his best bow with him. He'd forgotten it in rito village, convinced the lesser one he kept in Vah Medoh would be enough if he ever needed to swoop down and help on the ground. Not that it mattered much anyway. That thing that had appeared in his Divine Beast was impossible to defeat, teleporting every time Revali took aim, then aiming at him from his dead angle. All Revali could do was fly and avoid the blasts until one hit his chest and he fell to the floor.

The Windblight hovered over him, its canon aimed right for his head.

His last thought was for Link. 

He'd have to raise the dogs alone. 


End file.
